This annotated bibliography surveys current research on sustainable school building design and renovation. It examines the role of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system in evaluating green construction, explores case studies of retrofitting existing schools, and discusses the importance of aesthetic factors like natural light alongside sustainability metrics. The collection also addresses indoor air quality concerns in "sick buildings" and compares conventional construction methods with modern sustainable alternatives, providing a comprehensive overview of current approaches to creating healthier, more environmentally responsible educational spaces.
One of the primary focuses in new school building construction is creating sustainable spaces for student education. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building rating system, which serves as the primary assessment tool for evaluating the sustainability of building designs (Beckrich, 2012). This comprehensive framework considers multiple factors including site selection and development practices, water and energy use, environmentally preferred materials, waste stream management, indoor air quality, and innovation in sustainable design and construction.
Beckrich (2012) provides an introduction to the issues related to sustainable design and offers numerous resources for understanding the different factors associated with sustainable construction. The resources available to schools vary depending on their phase of development. For example, the USGBC offers a Green Existing Schools Toolkit to assist schools in planning transformations and earning LEED for Existing Buildings certification for structures that have already been constructed. This differentiation recognizes that schools face distinct challenges depending on whether they are designing new facilities or improving existing ones.
Students spend considerable time in school buildings, making sustainable design and high indoor air quality essential priorities for these spaces. While most newly constructed school buildings adhere to high standards, many older existing buildings remain problematic and are often characterized by poor quality (Dali'O et al., 2013). In recent years, the energy retrofit of existing school buildings has become part of European Union policy and that of its member states, though these initiatives rarely consider aspects beyond energy consumption.
The environmental quality of already-established buildings, particularly older school facilities, represents a significant opportunity for improvement. A study in northern Italy examined the feasibility of implementing substantial improvements to the environmental quality of 14 school buildings with the goal of achieving LEED certification (Dali'O et al., 2013). The researchers found that achieving between 42 and 54 LEED credits was both technically feasible and cost-effective. These findings suggest that future policies should focus not only on constructing new structures but also on improving existing ones, which represent the majority of school infrastructure in many regions.
Much of the literature on school design emphasizes sustainable issues such as indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and reducing environmental impact. However, the aesthetics of buildings—particularly schools—receives less attention despite its significance (Tanner, 2013). Aesthetics, the branch of philosophy concerned with art, beauty, and taste, emphasizes sensory values and creates spaces with vital and engaging qualities. Aesthetic environments with ample natural light have been shown to exert a constructive influence on human behavior and learning.
Research suggests that outdoor learning environments can enhance student learning rates, and incorporating surrounding outdoor aesthetics into indoor school design could provide a superior educational environment. Natural light stands among the most important aesthetic variables in a school's physical environment and has been demonstrated to positively influence both individual well-being and academic performance (Tanner, 2013). Beyond energy and material considerations, numerous factors related to aesthetics can meaningfully improve a school's overall environment and its capacity to support student development.
Indoor air quality in homes, workplaces, and schools represents a global concern that is recognized in policy, science, and the World Health Organization's programme on environmental awareness (Sandstedt, 2009). The risks associated with poor indoor air quality are increasingly well documented, and buildings that fail to meet minimum standards are classified as "sick buildings." While estimating the prevalence of such buildings is difficult, a substantial proportion of existing structures likely fall into this category. The challenge of addressing sick buildings can be examined from multiple perspectives including economic, political, scientific, and practical dimensions.
Poor indoor air quality can produce numerous health consequences. In recent decades, Sweden—like many developed nations—has experienced rising rates of allergies, asthma, and other hypersensitivities, particularly among children, with four in ten children affected by such conditions (Sandstedt, 2009). A prominent theory suggests that modern populations spend increasingly more time indoors—approximately 90 percent of their time in dwellings, schools, preschools, offices, and transportation vehicles (Sandstedt, 2009). This sustained indoor exposure is presumed to have significant health effects. Although science has not yet established a definitive causal relationship between sick buildings and specific health outcomes, rising rates of health problems in youth suggest that many symptoms could be attributed to poor indoor air quality in schools and other buildings.
"Comparing offsite and conventional construction efficiency"
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